Intertwining Lives
by Thepurplethread
Summary: It was the little things. A brush of hands, a small smile. Raven and Red X are enemies. Always have, always will be. Except they aren't. Life is much, much more complicated than that.
1. Prologue

I do not own Teen Titans. But I can dream!

* * *

><p>As every young couple is, they are blissfully happy. But happy, innocent things rarely last.<p>

Snuggled on a sofa in their small apartment in Gotham, is their one-year-old son who is sitting between his parents, half asleep. His parents are talking in low murmurs about a less than perfect subject.

"May, I'm worried. It's been over two weeks since we've heard from Mark."

She frowns slightly.

"With his lifestyle he could have been shipped off to jail and we would never know."

"Maybe we should try calling around. See if anyone's heard anything."

Her mouth forms a straight line showing her dislike of this idea, as she looks him firmly in the eye.

"No Will. You are not getting our family into trouble over your deadbeat brother. And what are you going to do. Call every prison in Gotham and just casually ask if they've picked up a criminal that looks like your brother?"

He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair.

"You're right. I just wish-" he pauses, hearing a faint knock on their apartment door.

"Who- is that him?" she asks, brows knitting together in worry.

"Maybe."

He stands, walking quickly over and opening the door. Instead of any recognizable face, a dark figure stands at the door, dressed in sweats, the hood pulled up, shrouding his face in shadows.

"Mark? Is that you?" he asks, concern in his voice.

The person ignores the question, and shoves past him and into the apartment. The woman stands abruptly, leaving her sleeping son lying on the sofa.

"What are you think you're doing? How dare you come in here?" she hisses at the figure.

The man turns to his wife quickly.

"May, go in the bedroom. Now."

She glances at the figure again, then back at her husband.

"Fine." she spats.

Quickly she gathers her son, holding him tightly in her arms, and goes into the bedroom and locks the door behind her.

The figure turns to the man, face still hidden under the jacket hood.

"Mark, stop this nonsense now!" he speaks, frowning, "And take off that stupid hood!"

The figure chuckles in a raspy voice.

"You might not like what you see."

Suddenly he pulls off the hood in a swift movement. The man gasps in horror.

"Mark, my god. What did you do to yourself?"

Mark's lips, now stained a bloody red, twist into a cruel smile.

"Don't worry dear brother. It's no problem for me. Although people seem to think it is." he turns to him, "I think their exact words were something like, 'Oh my god, what have you done to yourself? Are you crazy?"

He frowns suddenly, hate in his eyes.

"Or maybe that's just what you said."

"Mark, what's wrong? What happened to your voice? It's-it's-" he stops, not knowing what to say.

The other man chuckles evilly.

"Strange? Weird? Totally bizare?"

"Just so... high."

Mark snorts.

"Please. Your new found concern for me is a joke!"

He bursts into a maniacal laughter, red lips twisting into a horrible, inhuman grin. His brother mearly watches, horrified.

"Touching," he speaks, laughter dying down, "But still ridiculous!"

"What happened to you Mark? Tell me!" he spoke, voice rising. "You're not making any sense! You just come bursting into my apartment with no word, and your skin i -is as white as a ghost, and you've got that horrible grin plastered on your face, and you're not acting normal at all, and I'm only going to ask you one more time. _What_ _the hell_ _has happened to you_?"

Mark's smile fades slightly at his words. But it returns just as quickly.

"Well, if you really want to know, The Big Bad Batman was chasing me after I had broken into some jewelry store, and he chased me into a factory."

He paused, rubbing his eyes.

"There was a big vat of chemicals, Batman, h-he tried to hit me, I-I dodged, but the floor was slippery, and I fell."

He laughs again.

His brother only stares on in disbelief.

"Y_ou fell_ into a vat of chemicals?"

"Better believe it little bro. It's what gave me such a unique new look."

He grins at his brother's horrified look.

"Mark, you need help. Turn yourself in."

"What? No!" he retorts quickly. "I got away from batboy all by myself!"

"Mark," he begins, placing a firm hand on Mark's shoulder, "You're scaring me. I think the chemicals somehow affected your mind. You need help."

"I don't need help!" he shouts, shoving his hand away. "I don't need help from anyone!"

"Mark, stop." he speaks gently, turning to him, "You need help and-" he stops as he sees what his brother is holding.

"Now I see just what your problem is Will." he speaks, aiming the gun directly at him.

"Mark, put the gun down."

"You just don't know how to take a joke!" he pulls the trigger, and a loud bang rings out.

"You know, I never did like the name Mark," he says, smiling down at his now-motionless brother lying on the floor, "Now everyone can call me-"

He pauses, thinking for a moment.

"How about something like... _The Joker_! What do you think Will? Oh right,- _you're dead_."

His lips curl into a vicious smile, for he is very pleased with himself. Suddenly he hears a click behind him, and whirls around to see his brother's wife May with a gun pressed to his back.

"May, so good to see you again. "

Her eyes fill with tears as she sees her husband lying dead on the floor.

"You filthy monster. How could you murder your own brother?"

He laughs at her question. "Quite easily, really."

"He trusted you! Loved you! I told him that you were nothing but scum, but he never listened to me!"

"My brother always was an idiot."

He chuckles. "And it seems you are too."

He looks at the gun pressed straight in his chest. "So you're going to shoot me."

She blinks, trying to keep tears from running out of her eyes, as she wraps her fingers tightly around the trigger.

"I'm surprised a woman like you even knows how to hold a gun, much less fire it. They usually don't like the loud noise and the-"

"That's not going to work." she cuts in. "You're just trying to distract me. Capture my attention, so you can get away."

He smirks.

"You're very clever."

He shifts, almost nervously. "You've got guts kid. But the real question is do you have enough guts to pull the trigger?"

She bites her lip nervously, a million thoughts racing through her mind. After a seconds thought she acts. Another shot rings through the apartment as she pulls the trigger.

"_Nope_."

He stumbles, clutching his leg.

"_You little-_!" he shouts. He presses his eyes shut to fight the pain.

"I'll kill you for this! I swear!" he screams at her as she quickly grabs her son.

She wraps her hands tightly around his small ones and quickly, unlocking the window, climbs on to the fire escape. She climbs as quickly as she can while carrying her son at the same time.

Soon they are on the ground, and she runs, not knowing where they will go or what will happen to them, but they are together, and they are alive. She thinks of her husband, how her son will never have a father, and her eyes fill with tears. But her son is waking up, and there will be plenty of time to mourn later.

Now he whimpers from exhaustion, and she gently rocks him, pressing him closer to his chest.

"Don't worry, Momma's here." she smiles down at him.

"Don't be scared. Momma won't let anyone hurt you, Jason." He sighs, closing his eyes again.

She presses him close to her chest as they both flee into the night.

* * *

><p>Azar breathes in deeply as she walks into the temple of Azarath, her heels clicking against the cool marble floor.<p>

She glances upward at the darkening sky, and feels a gust of cool wind burst through the temple, signaling coming rain. There will be a horrible storm later, even though it has never rained a day in Azarath.

Azar sighs, thinking back to the events that led to all this horror.

Arella Roth, a lost and confused 19 year-old girl with no parents of family of any kind, had made a horrible mistake, and had ended up giving birth to the devil's own spawn. She had found Arella lost and alone, crying in an ally, about to kill herself.

She had taken Arella's hand, dried her tears, and brought her to Azarath, where Trigon's daughter had just been born an hour earlier.

But as soon as she was born the skies had turned black, the wind blew hard enough to chill a person to their bones, and lightning and thunder shook the air.

_The gods must be punishing us for harboring such evil_' she thinks as thunder rings, almost like mocking laughter.

Turning her attention from the brewing storm, she continues on her original path.

Soon she reaches the main hall of the temple of Azarath.

Seeing a hunched figure sitting by the roaring fire makes her heart ache. She walks over to her, trying to not disturb her.

"Arella." she speaks, looking down at the young woman, wrapped in a blanket.

Arella doesn't bother to even acknowledge her presence.

"Are you all right?" Azar asks, eyeing the girl.

"What have I done?" Arella speaks, voice flat and hollow.

"Arella-" she begins.

"I've doomed an entire universe to destruction and suffering. And there is nothing I can do but watch the whole thing play out before my eyes. Because of my mistakes billions will suffer."

she turns to Azar, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"How can I live with myself, when I know that all that suffering and pain is my fault? she asks despairingly, even though she knows that there is no answer that Azar, or anyone can give her.

Azar sighs, thinking for a moment before sitting down next to Arella.

They sit in silence, the only sound from the crackling fire. Arella sniffles, putting her head between her knees.

"It wasn't your fault."

"What?" she sits up, looking at Azar curiously.

"It wasn't your fault." Azar continues, "You were completely alone, no one was there to help you. Trigon manipulated your weaknesses, abused them. Made you feel wanted, needed."

"And it worked. I fell for it." she hangs her head in shame. "And now everyone is going to pay the price."

"You don't know that for sure." Azar speaks suddenly, turning to her.

"You heard the prophecy I well as I did. In 16 years Trigon's child will fall pry to his will and become his portal to the Earth, with them dying in the process." she closes her eyes, as if trying to shut out the nightmare.

"I have been alive for a very long time Arella." Azar begins, staring into the depths of the fire. "In 1,000 years of life I have learned many things. But most important is that the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain."

Arella arches an eyebrow. "And that means?"

A thin smile appears on her face.

"That the prophecies are always vague. And they don't happen the way one might think."

"You think that she won't become the portal?" she asks, a tiny spark of hope creeping into her voice.

"No, that is certain. But we don't know what will happen after that."

"Then there really is no hope, no chance of defeating Trigon." Arella closes her eyes, feeling utterly defeated.

"Maybe not."

"But you don't know that for sure!" she cries out, frustration evident in her voice.

"One can never know anything for certain. But we can train her. Teach her to control the darkness within her."

Azar places a firm hand on her shoulder. "But the thing she will need most is love. A parent who loves her."

"I don't think I can." Arella says, voice trembling.

"Have you seen her yet?" Azar asks softly.

Arella shakes her head.

"You need to see her before you condemn her."

* * *

><p>The two women enter a room deeper still in the temple.<p>

"There she is." Azar speaks softly, gesturing to the tiny baby lying in a cradle in the far corner of the room.

Arella tiptoes over to the crib, looking down at the small child sleep peacefully.

She stares, transfixed by the little thing's breathing, a small smile on her face.

"She- she doesn't look evil."

"That's because she isn't." Azar speaks, smiling at Arella. "Evil isn't born, it's made."

"Maybe- maybe you're right." Arella smiles. "Maybe she can do this. Defeat Trigon."

"She still needs a name."

Arellla sighs.

"I don't know. She's just like a little bird."

She stoops over, picking her up.

"Like a little Raven." she whispers, rocking her gently in her arms.

"Soon we shall talk about how to train your little Raven in how to use her abilities. But now you should rest while you can."

Azar squeezes her shoulder warmly. Arella reluctantly hands Raven over to Azar's waiting arms.

"Just… make sure she stays safe?" she asks Azar quickly.

"I promise no harm will come to her. Now rest."

For the first time a real smile shines on Arella's face.

"Thank you. For everything," she speaks, turning to the door.

Azar rocks the child in her arms, sending peaceful thoughts to her. Raven slowly opens her eyes, blinking sleepily, staring up at Azar. '

_Purple_…' she muses, noticing the baby's distinct eye coloring.

Suddenly the violet orbs seem to flash red, but only for an instant, before fading back to purple.

It happened so suddenly it made Azar wonder if she was only imagining things. She studies the baby's face for a few moments.

"Raven, little one, you're going to have a very difficult life. But I think- no, I'm sure you can handle it. I'm positive."

She smiles down at the child, who is drifting back into sleep, resting free of the burden of its troubled and uncertain future.

And Azar finds herself wishing that this moment, one that is quiet and free of pain, could stretch on forever.

* * *

><p>So I've had this story around in my head for months now and I just got around to typing it! Basically, it's my entire head canon of Red X and Raven's lives and how they met and everything!<p>

Also this is going to be pretty out of canon for Jason Todd. Mostly because I don't think Jason Todd and Raven have ever really had any romancy stuff in the comics.

Anyway, as always please review!


	2. 1 The Beginning of Something Big

I don't own Teen Titans. But I can dream!

* * *

><p>8 year-old Jason sat in the kitchen of a tiny apartment somewhere in Gotham, drawing. He could hear the wild whops and music blaring from the bar located below the apartment, and frowned, knowing that his mom was going to come home staggering tonight.<p>

But the feel of the pencil in his hand and the sound of the lead scratching against the paper took the edge off of the reality that any second now, his mom was going to stumble in, completely drunk.

Her drinking had gotten much worse in the past few years. Jason knew it had something to do with his dad, but whenever he brought the subject of his dad up her eyes would water and she would say _'He's dead Jason. And he's never coming back. That's all that matters.'_ and then promptly change the conversation.

After a few years he just gave up. Jason continued to sketch the outline of a face on his paper.

At least this, his drawings, he could control. The rest of his life maybe not, but this, this was his.

He heard a muffled stumble outside the door. He sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair. Guess she's home .

Sure enough the door turned and his mother staggered in, laughing at something someone had said.

"Hell-o Jason," she slurred, stumbling into the chair next to him.

"Mom you're drunk. Again." he said gently.

She frowned, rubbing her hand against her forehead, as if trying to clear her mind. "I-I am?"

"Yeah, you are."

She groaned, resting her forehead against the table, while Jason watched, knowing to keep silent or she might start crying.

"J-Jason I'm sorry, it just happened again, and I could've- should have stopped but I didn't and-"

"Mom, It's fine. No biggie."

He slid out of his chair and walked over to the sink where he filled a glass with water.

"Here," he said softly, handing her the glass, "Drink all of it."

She took the glass, her hands shaking slightly, gulping it down quickly.

"Thank you Jason. I don't know what I would do without you." She bent over, burying her head between her knees.

"I'm sorry I got drunk again. It's just so hard not to." She stopped, breathing in deeply.

Jason just stood there watching her sadly. "Mom it's fine. Really."

"No Jason it's not! It's not fair to you for me to be like this." she paused, closing her eyes. "Sometimes I just miss your father so much, the only way to get rid of the pain is to drink it away."

Jason eyes widened at this mention of his father. This was the first time she had ever mentioned him.

"You've never told me what happened to him. W-what happened?" he asked carefully, sitting down at the small table.

May sighed, turning to him, eyes full of tears.

"I suppose you might as well know what happened to your father."

She wiped a tear from her cheek before continuing.

"You were only a year old. Too young to know that your dad was gone and would never come back. Your father, he had a brother. His name was Mark. And he was a very bad person. He was a criminal, one who hurt people. The Batman was chasing him and there was an accident. Mark, he-" she paused, shuttering.

"He fell into some kind of chemical waste. I'm not really sure. I never was. It turned him into this… horrible thing. White skin, green hair, and this hideous smile. People said it also drove him crazy, but I knew he was a psychopath before the accident ever happened. Mark came into our apartment late one night… and he and your father fought, Mark, he pulled out a gun, and he…"

she stopped, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"I managed to get us both away from him but…"

Jason shut his eyes trying to process the fact that his dad hadn't been some creep that had left him and his mom in the lurch. He had been gunned down by an evil criminal brother that he had also never heard of.

He just stood there for a moment, as if in a trance.

But the sound of his mother's sobbing quickly brought him back to the real world, and he quickly wrapped his arms arms around her thin shoulders.

"Don't cry." he spoke softly. "Dad may be gone but you've still got me. You'll always have me"

She made a choking sound, something between a sob and a laugh.

"I don't know what I would do without you Jason." She sniffled. "I'm sorry that I'm just such a failure at being a mother."

"No you're a good mom!"

She laughed mirthlessly. "Trust me Jason, I'm not. I don't even have enough money to pay the rent."

May bit her lip, holding back a sob.

A sick feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach. 'So that's why she had been drinking so much'

"What are we going to do?"

She forced a smile. "You don't need to worry about grownup problems Jason." She told him, still smiling fakely.

"Why don't you go to bed now."

He nodded mutely. Picking up his pad and pencil, he walked off to his room, leaving May staring vacantly into an empty water glass.

:-:

He clicked on the overhead light, letting the light illuminate every corner of his small room.

Jason sighed, sitting down on his bed, letting himself flop back on the mattress.

'He just couldn't believe that's what happened to his dad. Out of all the stuff he had imagined that was the one thing he never even dreamed of. He knew it must have really hurt her to talk about what happened that night. He just wished there were something he could do to help about the rent. He turned over on his side, frowning.

Why does life work out like crap?

Suddenly he sat straight up.

'That's it_'_.

:-:

Quietly, with a sweatshirt hood covering most of his face, Jason crept up to the backdoor of some store in a back alley.

Taking a pair of wire cutters out of his backpack, he quickly cut the padlock off the door. Glancing around to make sure no one saw, he slowly opened the door and quickly ducked inside.

Looking around for anyone who might still be in the closed book store, he ran quickly to the cash register.

Please don't be locked, please.

He grinned seeing that someone had absently left the key hanging on the wall convinently behind the register instead of taking it home.

Jason quickly grabbed the key, opened the register, and stuffed its contents into his backpack before running back out the way he had came.

:-:

After he had climbed back up the fire escape and crept back into his room through the window, carefully closing it behind himself, he plopped down on his bed.

He turned his backpack upside-down, letting the contents spill onto his bed. Quickly he counted roughly 500 dollars.

'That would be enough for the rent this month, then Mom would get something together, and he wouldn't do this ever again_._

* * *

><p>Raven sighed.<p>

'Meditation must be the most boring thing in the world' she thought as she sat cross-legged on the cold marble floor of the temple of Azarath.

"Raven, I sense that your mind is not focused this morning." spoke Azar quietly, opening her eyes.

"I apologize Azar." she said, opening her eyes as well. "But it is very hard to remain quiet and still for so long." she complained. The whole thing did seem to be a waste of time.

Azar frowned, almost as if she could hear what Raven was thinking. Her aging face seemed more stern than ever.

"Raven," she spoke, voice serious "How old are you?"

"I will be eight years in two days time, Great One." she replied with a bright smile. "Why do you wish to know?"

Azar's eyes narrowed.

"Raven, you must listen to me very carefully."

Raven nodded, eyes staring at Azar expectantly.

"You must take your training more seriously." she breathed in deeply before continuing. "The universe is much bigger than Azarath. There are many evil people, ones who have given in to the darkness and hatred within."

Raven thought for a moment before answering.

"But Azar, what does any of that have to do with me?" she asked in a small voice.

Azar exhaled slowly before answering. "Because, little Raven, one day you will leave the safety of Azarath."

This only caused more questions to form in her mind.

'To leave Azarath meant to never return. Did Azar mean that she would have to leave her mother and the only home she had_?_'

Her thoughts must have shone on her face, because Azar placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Do not worry Little One. That is many years away. Now you must practice your meditation."

_'_But why would she even want to leave? She had a nagging suspicion that there was something Azar wasn't telling her.

But instead of voicing the nagging suspicion something was wrong, she just bowed her head and continued to meditate.

* * *

><p>So this update took waaaaay to long.<p>

But I've been super busy with school and stuff, and it feels like I've edited this a million times. Also, every chapter will have two perspectives, which takes more time. But I've got the whole next chapter almost finished so (hopefully) I'll have it out in a week or so!

As always please review, 'cause I love hearing what you guys think!


End file.
